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Dried Beans and Peas
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What's the difference between Beans and Peas
| History |
Nutritional and Dietary Values
Types of dried Peas
| Types of dried Beans
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General Cooking |
Recipes
This section
deals with dried peas and beans (pulses). It includes general information such
as origin, history, dietary and general cooking tips and a few recipes plus a
list and description of lots of peas and beans. The list is not exhaustive
however, it should cover most items which are available to buy in stores. For
more recipes either visit our Pasta Rice & Pulses recipe sections (links above)
or use the Search Form.
Difference between Beans and Peas
Peas and
beans are both members of the same families i.e. Fabaceae or leguminosae, and are also
sometimes referred to as pulses. The major
difference between peas and beans is that peas have a hollow stem and beans have
a solid stem. Another difference is that beans climb by wrapping their
stems around their support whilst peas have little tendrils which do the
twining. Both peas and beans have climbing and dwarf varieties, with the
climbing versions requiring support to climb up in order to produce a full heavy
crop.
You can find
detailed information about growing legumes on our
Growing Herbs and Vegetables
pages.
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History
Legumes have
always been a crop of utmost importance to human beings and all major civilizations
have heavily relied on different types of legume in their diet at some
time or another.
In some Eastern cultures, legumes have been a basic dietary staple for more than
20,000 years. It is now widely accepted that common beans such as Lima and Pinto beans
were first domesticated over 6,000 years ago in Central America
and the Andean regions and were widely used in both the Aztec and Inca cultures.
As might be expected, natural migrations spread the different varieties of beans
throughout the world.
Throughout history, beans have been used in many ways as well as for food. The Moche,
a civilisation who pre-dated the Incas in Peru, drew symbols on beans as an
a
form of early written record keeping, in ancient Egypt beans were reverered with
items such as lentils and Fava Beans having been found in Pharaohs' tombs put
there in readiness for the afterlife and early Greeks and Romans used beans to cast their votes
during trials. It is also known that c 1500 BC, parts of present day
Asia were growing and using soybeans.
It should be
noted that at the same time, grains such as wheat, rice, corn, barley and millet
were also grown and eaten with various beans as staples. Today, we know that
beans and grains eaten together provide form a complete protein, essential for
growth and development, and this combination can be seen in many traditional
dishes worldwide such as peas and rice, beans and corn and chickpeas and
couscous.
European
explorers further aided the spread and exchange of beans and grains, resulting
in a huge expansion of the numerous varieties all over the world with their
relatively cheap production making them an invaluable staple in many countries.
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Nutritional and Dietary Values
Dried beans and peas are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, iron
and fibre, with the added bonus of containing lots of complex
carbohydrates, little fat and no cholesterol. They are inexpensive and a healthy
option to include in your 5 - A -Day, with one serving of cooked
beans (about 90ml/3fl.oz/a handful) containing around 80 calories. In
addition, beans beans are thought to help prevent colon cancer and reduce blood
cholesterol.
If you are not used to eating beans on a regular basis,
the following should be taken into consideration:
Beans alone are not complete proteins so if you want to use them to replace
other protein sources such as meat, poultry and fish, be sure to eat them with
items such as rice, couscous, corn, bulgur and other grain based items such as
tortillas, nuts and seeds.
In some people, a sudden large increase in
eating beans can cause intestinal discomfort. You can minimize adverse effects
by:-
-
gradually increasing your intake
-
making
sure you change the soaking water several times
-
ensuring
you drink sufficient water (don't over-do it)
-
exercising regularly
The latter
two points encourage your gastrointestinal system to process
the increased dietary fibre.
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Types of Dried Peas
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Black-eyed peas
Other Names: cowpea; black-eye bean; black-eyed
Suzy; China bean;
Southern pea
Substitutes: Yellow-eyed peas; Pigeon peas
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Ceci bean
- See Chick Pea
Congo pea
- See Pigeon Pea
Cowpea
- see Black-eyed Pea
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Chickpeas
Other names
: garbanzo bean; garbanzo pea; ceci bean;
Egyptian pea; kabli
chana
Substitutes: Lima beans |
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Gandules
- See Pigeon Pea
Garbanzo
- See Chick Pea
Goongoo pea See Pigeon Pea |
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Green Split pea
Other Names : Matar dal
Substitutes: Yellow Split peas, large Lentils |
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Gunga pea - See
Pigeon Peas |
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Lentils -
Click here for information |
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Pigeon peas
Other Names: goongoo pea; gunga pea; Congo pea
Substitutes:
Black-Eyed peas, Yellow-eyed peas
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Yellow Split pea
Other Names: yellow matar dal
Substitutes: Green
Split Pea, Black-Eyed peas, Yellow-eyed peas,
large lentils |
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Types of Dried Beans
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Adzuki bean
Other Names:
Azuki bean; Aduki bean; Field pea;
Feijao bean
Substitutes: Red Kidney beans;
Black Adzuki beans |
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Anasazi
beans
Other Names -
Substitutes: Cranberry beans; Pinto beans
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Asuki bean - See Adzuki Bean
Azuki bean - See Adzuki Bean |
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Black Adzuki bean
Other Names: Black Azuki bean;
Asuki bean
Substitutes: Adzuki beans |
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Black Bean
Other names: Turtle bean; Frijole
Negro; Spanish black bean
Substitutes: Calypso bean; Black soybean;
Adzuki bean
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Bolita Bean
Substitutes: Cannellini
bean; Pinto bean; Chilli bean; Cranberry
bean |
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Borlotti Bean
Other Names: Cranberry bean;
Roman bean; Fagiolo Romano
Substitutes: Cranberry beans; Cannellini bean;
Pinto bean; Chilli bean |
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Boston bean - See navy bean
Broad bean - See fava bean
Butter bean - See Fava bean |
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Cannellini bean
Other Names: White Kidney bean; Fazolia
bean
Substitutes: Great Northern bean; Navy
bean; Flageolets |
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Calypso bean
Other names : Orca bean; Ying Yang beans
Substitutes: Cannellini beans; Black bean
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Chilli Bean
Other names: Pink bean
Substitutes:
Pinto beans; Red
Kidney beans; Rattlesnake Beans |
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Cranberry Bean - see Borlotti Bean
English bean - See Fava bean |
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Fava bean
Other Names : Lima bean;
Butter bean;
Madagascar bean; Ful; Habas
Substitutes: Chickpeas;
Cannellini Beans; Soybeans; Navy Beans
NB. Broad Beans are the
fresh (green) version of Fava beans |
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Field Pea - See adzuki bean |
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Flageolet
Other Names: Fayot
Substitutes: Great Northern beans;
Navy Beans; Cannellini beans |
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Frijole Negro - See black bean
Ful - See fava bean |
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Great Northern bean
Substitutes: Navy beans; Cannellini beans;
Flageolet Beans; Lima
beans |
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Habas - See fava
bean |
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Kidney
Beans - See Red
kidney beans
NB A whole family of kidney-shaped beans
which come in various sizes and colours and
includes cannellini beans and
flageolets |
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Lupini Beans
Other Names: Tremmoco
Substitutes: Fava Beans;
Lima Beans; Soybeans |
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Madagascar beans
- See Fava beans
Mexican black bean -
See black bean. |
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Mung bean
Other Names: Mungo bean; Mung pea; Green gram
Substitutes: Pigeon Pea |
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Navy bean
Other Names: Fagioli;
Haricot Bean; Boston Navy Bean; Pea Bean
Substitutes: Great
Northern Beans; Lima beans; Cannellini Beans |
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Pea Bean - See navy
bean.
Pink Bean - See Chilli bean. |
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Pinto
Bean
Other Names: Cowboy Beans; Mexican Beans
Substitutes:
Chilli Beans; Kidney Beans; Borlotti Beans;
Adzuki bean |
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Rattlesnake Beans
Substitutes: Pinto beans;
Chilli Beans; Red Kidney beans |
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Red Beans
Other Names: Mexican Red Beans
Substitutes: Pinto Beans; Red Kidney
Beans; Adzuki Beans |
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Red Kidney Beans
Other Names: Rajma
Substitutes: Red Beans; Pinto
Beans; Chilli Beans; Adzuki Beans |
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Rice Bean
Substitutes: Rice; Lentils |
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Soya Beans
Other Names: Soy Bean; Soybeans |
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Swedish Brown Beans
Substitutes:
Cranberry Beans; Pinto Beans |
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Turtle Bean - See
Black Beans
Wax bean - See lima bean |
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General Cooking
Most dried
beans need to be pre-soaked for at least 4 hours, preferably 8 before being
cooked as do chickpeas. Some say not to bother soaking dried peas but doing so
makes cooking a lot quicker. Lentils do not need pre-soaking.
Once
prepared, dried beans should be put into cold water, brought to the boil and
boiled rapidly for about 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1
hour 30 minutes. If desired, skim off any foam which forms on the top of the
cooking water though this isn't entirely necessary as it is merely water-soluble
protein which is released from the beans.
Beans can
also be cooked in a pressure cooker which drastically reduces the booking time.
Below is a chart showing the comparison in cooking times for a selection of
beans
| Beans (soaked) |
Saucepan |
Pressure Cooker @15lb |
| Black
Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
5 to 8 Mins |
| Garbanzo Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
5 to 7 Mins |
| Great Northern Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
5 to 7 Mins |
| Lima Beans, Large |
45 to 60 Mins |
Not Recommended |
| Lima Beans, Baby |
1 Hr |
Not Recommended |
| Navy or Small Whites |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
5 to 8 Mins |
| Pink Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
6 to 8 Mins |
| Pinto Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
5 to 7 Mins |
| Red Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
6 to 8 Mins |
| Red Kidney Beans |
1 to 1½ Hrs |
5 to 8 Mins |
| Soybeans |
3 Hrs |
12 to 15 Mins |
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Using a
slow cooker or crockpot
Unless you have a slow cooker with a "high" setting, cooking beans from
fresh, even if they have been soaked, is not advisable. If you have a high
setting, try cooking on high for 3 hours then reducing to low and cooking for a
further 6 hours. Care must be taken when cooking on the high
setting as a large amount of evaporation will occur so the beans should be
carefully monitored to ensure the liquid level is kept topped up.
Freezing
Cooked
beans do freeze quite well although better defrosting results are achieved if
they are slightly undercooked before freezing.
Equivalents:
Most beans
1lb dried beans = 480ml/16fl.oz/2 cups dried
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Recipes
Below are just a few recipes
for you to try. To find more either visit our Pasta Rice & Pulses recipe
sections (links above) or use the Search Form.
Soups
Lentil Soup
HT SP 40mins
Celery
Garlic Soup HT SP Tunisian 80mins
Broad Bean Soup Veg HT SP Egyptian
90mins plus soaking
Bacon and Split Pea Soup HT SP Canadian 120mins
plus soaking
Black Bean Soup Veg HT SP Venezuelan 130mins plus soaking
Main Courses
Buckwheat Lentil Pilaf Veg HT MC
30mins
Chickpeas with Raisins Veg HT MC Moroccan 35mins
Lentil Tagine Veg HT MC Moroccan
75mins
Balkan
Stew Veg HT
MC
90mins
Mixed Bean Casserole
Veg HT MC 110mins
Lentil and Parsnip Bake Veg
HT MC 120mins
Ful Mudammas
Accompaniments
Dhal Potato Curry Veg HT ACC Fijian
55mins plus soaking
Lyonnaise Butter Beans Veg
HT ACC French
60mins
Red Beans and Rice HT ACC Creole Cajun
100mins plus soaking
Pease Pudding Veg
HT ACC British 230mins
Stewed Black Beans Veg HT ACC
Venezuelan 260mins plus soaking
Boston Baked Beans
HT ACC N American 285mins plus soaking
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